Comments on: Monday Night Update: Episode 5

By: Library Voice » So maybe this is why no one uses our Skype Reference Service

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:41:11 +0000

[...] been using Skype as a reference option for quite some time. At one point in time, people in library land were really hot about what we were doing with the [...]

By: Parler ÃƒÂ un bibliothÃƒÂ©caire sur Skype ? « Le Rat du Web…

Parler ÃƒÂ un bibliothÃƒÂ©caire sur Skype ? « Le Rat du Web… — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:46:26 +0000

[...] http://libraryvoice.com/archives/2009/03/03/monday-night-update-episode-5/ [...]

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:48:39 +0000

Hi Cathy,
Yes, the service is still minimally used, but the kiosk itself gets a great deal of use. Since the Skype service costs us nothing to staff, it’s a minimal investment. We’re looking again at other staffing models, and I’ll post more about that if/when we change things up. Thanks for stopping by.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:41:07 +0000

Hi, Chad,
I’m following this conversation with great interest. Do you still find that Skype service is minimally used? Any idea why? We’re predicting that students prefer something more private for their reference interactions.
Kathy

By: Library Reference Service Using Skype…03.13.09 « The Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian’s Weblog

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:15:38 +0000

[...] order to provide instant reference with a live librarian. ChadÃ‚Â Boeninger explains the system in aÃ‚Â video on his blog. The system is not heavily used but it’s an interesting [...]

By: Chad

Chad — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:11:27 +0000

Melissa: The kiosk is more of a “proof-of-concept”. We would love to have other kiosks around campus, but we’d like them to be fancier, with touch-screens, etc. Unfortunately, right now is not the right time to be spending money on fancy new equipment. There’s also the issue of real estate. Ideally, as spot in the student center would be best, but we haven’t really approached that issue yet.

Denise: We have been doing IM and Meebo reference for a number of years. We average about 400 questions a month with these services. With the Skype service, we might have 4 questions a month. I think Skype has the potential to grow, but it’s definitely not as pervasive as IM or Meebo. If you had to choose a reference service to implement, definitely go with IM/Meebo.

Alec: Thanks for your comments.

Howard: I typically work Monday nights, so I take Monday afternoons off. I’d be glad to talk to you at some point when we can work out a time.

Thanks, all, for your comments. I’m glad you were able to stop by.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:38:35 +0000

this is really cool – love the idea. hope more students use it. maybe you can set up kiosks in other parts of the campus?

mel in illinois

By: Denise

Denise — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:29:36 +0000

Great idea! have you used other types of online services for reference in the past? how do you feel they compare with this service?
Thanks!

By: Alec

Alec — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:57:35 +0000

This is a really clever idea.

By: Howard Wolinsky

Howard Wolinsky — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:51:00 +0000

My wife, the reference librarian, told me about your Skype service.
I am the US blogger for Skype.
Hoped someone on your team would be willing to be interviewed on Skype video about your service.
My Skype ID is howardwolinsky
I am available most Monday afternoons. (I teach the rest of the week at Northwestern’s journalism school.)